Novella Carpenter, author of "Farm City," and Willow Rosenthal, founder of City Slicker Farms, have written the guide they wish they'd had when they started farms in Oakland about a decade ago: "The Essential Urban Farmer" ($25; Penguin) - an encyclopedia on everything from planning a garden to slaughtering a chicken.

Cities throughout the country are easing restrictions on beekeeping and raising livestock and turning vacant land over to community gardens. As interest in urban agriculture has grown, so has the number of quixotic grow-and-raise-your-own guides on the bookshelves.

Carpenter and Rosenthal's manual, on the other hand, is packed with useful information illustrated in black and white. It's divided into three sections so novices build confidence before advancing to the next stage. In the first section, rookies learn to assess their site and start small, with easy-to-grow vegetables. Part two covers more challenging subjects such as soil fertility, seed saving and pest control. For those coveting a backyard menagerie, the last section is an eye-opening lesson on the commitment required to keep bees, chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits and goats.

Anyone advancing to this stage should heed the authors' advice not to enter lightly. A hen can live eight years - long after she's laid her last egg.